A Life Lost Long Ago
by broken mind
Summary: A mysterious girl appears in Drover's Run and changes the world of Alex. Becky and Alyssa share the same fate but will it all turn out good in the end? Is Alex going to cope with it? CHAPTER !9! is finally online. please read and review!
1. Introduction

Please notice before reading this story!

I know the series and most of what is to come since I live in Germany and only know the series as far as it has been aired here.

But in this story things go differently than in the series. Claire is not pregnant, although there were the problems with Peter. Thus, Alex has not said that he was the father of the "not-existing" child.

I am not sure if I will take up the characters of Sally or Dave, but Tess and Nick dance around each other just like in the series.

The fact that Alex is not Harry's son has been adopted for the series, but is not a main feature.

Thank you in advance!


	2. Chapter 1

**McLeod's Daughters**

**- A Life Lost Long Ago -**

I.

Alex Ryan was slowly driving along the dark and shady road towards Drovers Run in his old black Ford PickUp. It had finally stopped raining but the road was muddy and he had to be careful not to get stuck. Rays of pale moonlight made their way through the branches of the small trees and bushes that lined the road sporadically. Coming from Killarney to pick up the rest of his clothes and things that he needed for his longer stay at Wilgurl, he wanted to make sure that Claire and Tess were okay after this hard day of work in the pouring rain.

The radio played boring songs and for a moment he was not paying attention and when he looked up at the road again, he saw a shadow of a horse with a rider on top of it right ahead of him. Stepping on the brakes a little too hard, the car skidded and broke to the left until it came to an abrupt stop right in front of the horse. Alex had to take one deep breath to calm down, then he jumped out of the car, leaving the headlights on and the door open. The horse had not even shied away and only turned and looked at him with blank eyes, while the rider, because of the movement, suddenly reeled over and fell down into the mud with a dull sound. It was a black horse, four white legs and a bright white blaze, but Alex guessed that it was lame and tired because it did not made any attempt to run away from him. Tess' alpacas always ran away from him, so this was nothing unusual to him.

With a frown, the man bent down and rolled the person over so that he could see the face. When he saw it, he had to brush away dirt and leaves, it nearly frightened the hell out of him. It was a young woman, covered with blood and dirt and he thought he saw some purple bruises on her very pale face. She was nearly lifeless, Alex checked for her pulse and realized with a sigh that she was still breathing. What was he supposed to do now? Alex had no training in situations like these and didn't know what to do. Should he take the girl someplace dry and warm or first take care of the sodden horse.

The young woman began to cough and grabbed Alex's wrist, unconscious as she was. Was it just mud and water that was coming out of her mouth or was it blood? It was hard to tell, so Alex decided it would definitely be better to tie the horse to a tree and bring the girl to Drovers Run. Killarney or Wilgurl war too far away. And maybe he should also call Dr. Gardener right away to come to Drovers Run to check on her.

And so he did. He tied to horse to a branch of a tree, patted its wet and sweaty neck and then turned to the girl which was still lying on the ground. When he put an arm under and around her shoulder, she moaned quietly. Alex tried his best not to hurt her anymore, but it was quite hard to do trying to make her comfortable in the back of the car.

He snatched his mobile phone and dialled the number of the doctor. It took a few moments for Dr. Gardener to answer the phone but he immediately recognized the importance of the situation. He would come to Drover's Run right away. Alex thanked him and ended the call. With one short glance at the girl who was still unconscious he sat down on the front seat and steered the car carefully back on the road and headed for Drovers. The road was bumpy and more than once he head a painful moan from behind that made him turn and watch her cautiously. He didn't want to cause her any more pain.


	3. Chapter 2

II.

Although it was already after midnight, Claire McLeod was still awake. She was searching the world wide web to find out more about the right training for the horses that other people gave to her for training. She was a great rider but she always wanted to get better and better. After the nerve-racking problems with Peter Johnston, Claire had obviously quite quickly found her way back to the normal life, but it was hard to keep her face in front of the others when all she wanted to do was hide in a secret place and cry her little heart out.

With a sound he stopped the engine and got out of the car. Carefully he put the girl into his arms and carried her towards the door. From behind, he saw headlights moving towards the main building, probably from Dr. Gardeners car. He had a very old and shabby Ford but still, it got him any place he needed to go, even in the night time.

Alex prodded his foot against the door, not minding the late hour, and only moments later, Claire opened the door. In her own special weird way, she looked at Alex holding the dirty girl in her arms and frowned.

"What is this?" she asked wide-eyed.

"I found her, somewhere down the road. Her horse is still there. Can…"

"Yeah, I'll send Becky later. Come on in. Oh, you've already called the Doc?"

Alex only nodded. He stepped in and brought the young woman to the couch in the living room. Claire switched on the lights and only moments later Becky and Meg stood in the doorway.

"Is something wrong?"

Then Becky saw the girl's face. She went over to the couch and wiped away the mud and blood that was there. Now Alex saw that he had been right, it was blood. Meg brought water and a towel and together with Becky they washed the other girl's face. There were several cuts and bruises which could not have possibly happened during the fall from the horse or during the drive to Drover's. To him, and he knew this game, it looked like she had been beaten up. She was quite cute, Alex thought to himself. Funny, he thought, why was he thinking weird things like that in a situation like that? She was badly wounded. After Meg left to empty the bucket of water, Dr. Gardener examined her and his forehead displayed quite clearly what he thought. When he finally turned around and looked at them, Tess came downstairs.

"What is going on here? I was just dreaming something really…" Then she saw what was going on. "Oh…is she alright?"

"Becky, would you ride out and get her horse? Alex said he tied it to a tree somewhere down the road…"

"Sure!" the blonde replied and turned around to leave the house and bridle up her chestnut coloured mare.

Dr. Gardener raised an eyebrow and began to talk. "A couple of ribs are broken, both wrists and several fingers sprained and many bruises on her chest and stomach." He lifted her shirt for a moment to show the others what he was talking about. Her skin was pale and the bruises were so visible that it made Alex think that they were quite new. The line of contusions trailed along her ribcage across her stomach and also lower down. What happened here? He stepped a little closer and saw deep scratches a little higher where the pants covered her hips.

"What is this?" he inquired.

Dr. Gardener had a closer look and frowned. "What on…" he whispered and pulled the upper part of the jeans down a little to see more. The scratches went down a long way but Dr. Gardener bent over the girl so that Alex and the others couldn't see anything. It took a few moments until he stepped back, but he wouldn't say anything. But he asked Claire out of the room to talk to her privately. Alex nearly died to find out what it was they had to talk about in secret but Tess now wrapped the girl into a blanket.

"Tess?" Alex asked. Tess turned around.

"Hmm…?

The concerned look on her face made him shiver. "Is it something bad?" he asked in a low voice.

Tess shook her head with a sad expression in her eyes, then turned away and put one hand on the girl's shoulders.

"So I guess it is bad…" Alex whispered and sat down on the chair on the left of the couch.


	4. Chapter 3

**III.**

Claire came back with Dr. Gardener. "Alex, can you bring her upstairs? She needs to sleep. Dr. Gardener will come with you and look after her."

The man nodded. "Of course…" And once again he lifted the unconscious girl into his arms and carried her up the narrow stairway into Tess' room, followed by Dr. Gardener who was carrying his old leather bag.

After he had put the girl down on the bed, Dr. Gardener turned to him and told him to leave.

Alex frowned. "Doc, please…"

"No, you can see her afterwards. Now if you please…" The doctor did not look at or talk to him anymore but waited patiently until Alex finally left the room. There was no use arguing.

Downstairs Claire was sitting on the couch with a beer in her hand, Tess was beside her with a cup of coffee. Meg had probably gone back to sleep. During all this, her daughter Jodie had not appeared on the scene. Jodi was the most curious person ever and everybody wondered why she was not here. But nobody took much notice if it, one word and Jodi was forgotten.

Alex dropped down next to Tess and rubbed his forehead.

"Are you ok?" Tess asked.

"Dunno…guess I'm just a little tired. There was way too much work during this summer and then this rain…"

"Ah…" came from Claire. "Just the rain?"

"What do you mean?" asked Tess.

"Well, Alex here has never complained about work or the weather, so I guess his interest is only in the girl."

"So what? I found her, it's my job to worry, eh?" Alex replied, maybe a little to harsh.

Claire turned to him. "Calm down, Doc Gardener will take good care of you, the last thing she needs is…you!"

"I don't care. I want to know what's wrong with her and how she got here…"

In that moment Becky came back.

"Found the horse, it's in pretty bad shape. Lame and completely done in. I put it in the empty box next to Blaze."

"Right. Thanx, Becky. You better go back to bed now, tomorrow's going to be another hard day."

Becky smiled. "Sure, Claire. Goodnight." She nodded to Tess and Alex and disappeared.

Alex had sunken into the sofa and stared into the nothingness that was in front of his eyes without moving.

"Alex?" asked Tess but got no answer.

"Alex!" said Claire and nudged him.

"Yeah?"

"Will you and Nick come out again tomorrow and help us with the fences? We can't keep the cattle in the horse paddock any longer and because of the rain everything's drenched and the fodder is drenched, too. It's as easy as that, tomorrow is going to be anther day of long and hard work. Everybody had to help or otherwise the animals are going to drown or starve. I don't know what's worse. So tell your brother to show up here with you on time to help us, ok?"

"Sure." Alex said and got up.

In that exact moment he heard the door of the room in which the strange girl was being closed and Dr. Gardener came downstairs.

Alex jumped to his feet. "Is she going to be ok?" he asked breathlessly.

Dr. Gardener looked at him with a serious expression on his face, then turned to Claire. "It is as I supposed, Claire."

Claire sighed and the doctor continued. "I had the feeling that she had been raped when I saw the scratches, and now after a thorough examination, I am afraid to tell you that I was right."

Alex turned all pale and had to sit down. Tess put her cup on the table with a loud noise that pierced the silence like a thunder.

"What?" she said. "Who did this?"

"I don't know yet, but we'll find out. I'll send a test to the hospital in Fisher, guess we'll get the results in a week or two. Although, if the DNA-test turns out positive, the man who did this has to have a record in the database. Then the police can search for him. If not…" Dr. Gardener let this sentence hang before him when he now turned and nodded to Claire, Tess and Alex before he left.


	5. Chapter 4

**IV.**

"Raped?" Alex breathed. His eyes were open wide and his mouth stood open. "How? Why?" His eyes moved rapidly and to Claire, who knew him quite well, it seemed as if he was already searching for the man. She reached out for him and put one hand onto his arm.

She glanced at him. "Alex, don't, you hear me?"

"What?"

"You know what I mean. Calm down." Her voice sounded strange. Tess looked at her and frowned.

Claire got up and walked across the room. "Anyone another beer?"

"Yes!" came from Tess and Alex in unison. Claire went into the kitchen and came back with 3 bottles of the homemade beer that Alex had brought with him the other day.

All three of them opened up a bottle each and drank. Alex drained his bottle in almost one long sip. Then he stood up and walked towards the doorway.

"Where are you going?" Claire asked.

"I want to see if she's alright…" said Alex and looked at her.

In his eyes Claire and Tess saw something they've never seen before, something that came close to a mixture of sadness and agony, and Claire bit back any other comment she had been wanting to say. She let him go and watched him walk up the stairs with his head hanging low and his back bent as if it was his fault. But it wasn't. It hadn't been his fault. He had found her and brought her here, he probably had saved her.

But Claire understood. Alex had probably never had to deal with the topic rape in his life before, but Claire, after having met Becky, had learned about that. Alex would have to learn now too, and learn it the hard way. Although she felt a slight pang of jealousy, she realized that Alex began to feel for the girl. And when she now saw him disappear up the stairs, she had to sigh. Tess turned around and looked at her inquiringly, but Claire did not say anything and turned back to her beer.

"Are you alright?" Tess asked.

"Yeah!" made Claire and took a long sip.

Alex opened the door quietly and stepped in. The regular breathing calmed him down immediately, but when he saw the pale and bruised face with all those cuts, all the anger came back. He sat down on the edge of the bed and took her hand. Even though she was unconscious, Alex thought that he felt a slight pressure on his hand from her hand and he moved a little closer. For the first time now he realized that she had long blond hair and a petite face. Meg must have washed away the dirt and mud so that she now looked quite clean. She slept deeply, but it was not an easy sleep.

Alex hesitated at first, then released her hand and put his hand against her now warm cheek. In her sleep she turned her head and pushed slightly against his caressing hand. Quickly Alex pulled back his hand and breathed in and out to calm down again. With one last glance at her, he stood up from the bed and went to the door. He turned off the light and closed the door behind him, making sure that the girl was fast asleep.

When he came down into the living room, Tess and Claire had already left, they had probably gone to bed. He checked the time and realized that it was almost 4 am. He was deadly tired, but in his head the thoughts were running around wild. What was he supposed to do? How was he supposed to talk to her now, if she ever woke up?

He knew that Becky had been raped but she was a little tomboy, to him she was only Becky, nothing more. He tried to convince himself that this strange girl was also only someone, and not someone he felt for. But his heart knew better. Alex was a man who never thought about things longer than only a few seconds and then did it and his heart now did the same thing. It did not let itself be talked into not feeling for her, and Alex finally understood.


	6. Chapter 5

**V.**

It took nearly 3 days for the girl to wake up. In between she regained consciousness but always fell back to sleep after having drunk some water. She had not eaten and looked thinner than ever.

Tess was always by her side and kept her company when she was not outside helping Claire with the sheep or Nick with their project of biological wheat. But she was at her side when she woke up.

"Where's Rahima?" came only the faintest whisper from the girl.

"Who?" asked Tess and put a hand to her cheek.

"Rahima…my horse…"

"Oh…you mean the black mare?" Tess smiled. "She is doing just fine, guess she was just a little exhausted from your long ride. We've put her in a paddock and the vet has already taken a good look at her. She'll be alright."

"Thank you…" whispered the younger girl and leant back against the cusion.

"Are you hungry?" asked Tess and patted her hand. The glance she got from the girl told her more than many words. "I'll be right back!" she said and stood up.

A few minutes later she returned with a tablet with a sandwich and a glass with orange juice on it. She sat down on the edge of the bed beside the strange girl and gave her the sandwich.

The girl took it and ate it immediately. Her eyes lit up and when she was finished, she smiled for the first time.

"What is your name?" asked Tess. She eyed the strange girl thoroughly. Her long hair had some strange short strands in it. On her bare shoulders she saw scars which were once cuts and must have hurt pretty bad.

The girl took a long sip of the orange juice and sighed.

"Come on, I won't bite." The older woman said smiling.

"My name is Alyssa. Alyssa Hawking." She mumbled.

"So, Alyssa, that's a beautiful name. How old are you?" Tess began to question her carefully. And just as careful, Alyssa answered a few of her questions.

"25…" Alyssa hesitated.

"And how come you rode alone through the night?"

The girl did not answer but looked at Tess with her sad eyes.

"It's alright, nothing will happen to you, ok? I promise."

Alyssa shook her head but before Tess could ask again, the door opened up and Claire stepped in.

"Hey!" she smiled and looked at both women on the bed. "So you finally woke up. You feeling alright?"

Alyssa nodded.

"This is Alyssa Hawking!" said Tess.

"So, Alyssa Hawking. Where did you come from? I mean, what a luck that Alex found you that night…"

"Alex?" Alyssa whispered. "Where am I?"

"Yeah, Alex Ryan. You are at Drover's Run."

The worried look on the girl's face made it clear to Tess and Claire that the girl did not know where she was, not at all.

"Drover's Run, in Australia?" Claire suggested.

Alyssa pulled a face. "Well, I guess I know in which country I am…But how did I get here?"

"As I already said, Alex found you on the road to Drover's. He was just on his way home and took a detour. Do you know what happened to you?"

Alyssa's face grew hard. "I…I don't want to talk about it…"

"So you remember?" Tess asked.

"I said, I don't want to talk about it…" the young woman hissed. But then her eyes welled up. "I am sorry! I didn't mean to…" Sobs were beginning to break through. "I…I am just so…scared…"

"Scared?" Tess wanted to know, but Claire put a hand on her arm to calm her down. So the blond haired woman did not push any further.

Alyssa looked at both of them thankfully and tilted her head. "And my horse?"

"Rahima, that's her name, right? She's fine. She was lame when we found you, but Dave, the vet, took care of her. She's alright." Tess said.

"Rahima? That's a weird name for a horse…" Claire interrupted.

"She's not a normal warmblood, she's…she's an Andalusian."

"An Andalusian?" Tess was confused.

"An old pure Spanish race. Very famous, very expensive…" Claire explained. "She looks good."

"Yeah, she does, I'm very proud of her. Can she stay here?"

"What do you mean?" Claire asked.

"Nothing…"Alyssa sighed.

"Well, sure, as long as you stay here, she can stay, too. Why not?" Tess interfered and smiled.


	7. Chapter 6

**VI.**

The next few days went by rather quickly. Alyssa strolled around the property but always stayed close to the house, always in sight of the others, never going off anywhere alone. She helped Meg in the kitchen and Becky with the sheep, but always stayed on Drover's Run with Jodi and the rest or went with Tess and Nick to help them with their biological wheat. She always stayed close to the people she had gotten to know during the time she had been here on Drover's Run. Everybody tried to involve her in the daily routines of the farm work but she still kept to herself and did not speak much with the others. Jodi gave her clothes but they were too big for Alyssa, so Becky borrowed her her second pair of jeans and a shirt so that the clothes she wore would not hang around her like an old sack.

Tess could not stand this any longer, since now Becky had to wear her first pair of jeans all the time. So she drove over to Gungellan and bought some fitting clothes for the thin girl. She about guessed the size, it must have been Becky's and got it quite right. The jeans were only a little too big but the shirt fitted perfectly.

"You'll grow into it." said Claire and smiled at Meg.

"Yeah, right, it's always the same…" Meg muttered under her breath but she knew better than to take it seriously. She was a good cook and both Becky and Tess had been complaining about gaining weight since their arrival on Drover's Run. Alyssa, who didn't know the whole story, did not fully understand the funny part of this all. But she smiled, too and then thanked them all again.

The bruises slowly faded and the sprained wrists and fingers healed pretty quick, too. She still could not grab the huge fork and hold it while helping the others to clean the stables, but she did as much as she could. Sometimes the pain was too much, but Alyssa bit back any comment about that. She was used to pain and did not say a word. Jodi saw her fight the tears when she carried the heavy hay sacks but admired her strong will.

Alyssa was her roommate because she did not want to occupy Tess' room after all the friendliness that she had experienced here. Tess said that it did not bother her to sleep in Claire's room but Claire joked that it would bother her. She didn't mean it, though, Alyssa knew by now. In Jodi's company she felt good and Becky was always close when Jodi's temper got the best of her. Jodi was flirty and loved to go out and she just couldn't understand why neither Becky nor Alyssa wanted to go with her to those so called hot-night parties. Those parties were the reason why she liked to sleep long and why she was usually grudged when she was called out for breakfast or work too early.

Alex came by from time to time but he did not get more than a hello and goodbye from Alyssa, no matter how hard he tried to get to her. She smiled at him and worked together with him, but she kept her distance. She had thanked him for saving her life and her horse's, and then she showed him her black mare and Alex was kind enough to tell her how beautiful she looked even though she was meagre, ill-groomed and lame. But then she retreated and busied herself with cleaning the stables. Alex followed her and played a little with Roy the dog, but he never took his eyes off her. Why was she so shy and always ran away from him? Alex could not possibly understand the ways of how a rape could mess with a woman's personality but he understood that she was scared and needed time to trust a man, especially a man like him. Alex was tall and broad-shouldered but had friendly green eyes and an open smile. He might have been the ladies man but he had a very strong sense of belonging. Wasn't she thankful that he had found her that night? Alex didn't mind her not thanking him for that, but what he wanted in the first place was some sign that she trusted him, even if only a little.

Tess was in the stables, too. She groomed Isabel, one of the two white alpacas and smiled at her. The animal made a sound close to a frightened shriek. Alex gave Tess an nod and left. Not all women had it bad for Alex, especially not the four-legged ones. Tess was so beautiful, Alyssa thought. And she was so nice. Just like Claire. Both had taken her in here without a question and they didn't push her to tell them anything. But still, Alyssa could read in their eyes, especially in Tess', how curious they were to find out more about her.

"So…you like it around here?" Tess asked.

"Yeah, it's great…" Alyssa said and tried a smile. The bruises and cuts on her face were still hurting a lot. "The others are really nice to me, Nick and Alex ad Becky and Meg and Jodi. And of course, Claire and you!" Alyssa grinned.

"Oh thank you!" Tess blushed a little. "Oh Becky…" she called for the blond girl passing by, "can you take Alyssa here round for a tour?"

Becky nodded and waved for Alyssa to come over.

"And show her the horses!" shouted Tess with a laugh when Alyssa walked over to Becky.


	8. Chapter 7

**VII.**

"This is Blaze and her foal Phoenix. On the left there's Oscar, the white one, Tess' horse, and Eagle, Claire's gelding. Meg's and Jodi's horses are Star and Tucker, the two brown ones that stand so close together. And the chestnut is mine. It's name is Yarrick." Becky smiled. "And then we have the cattle and the sheep, so there is lots of work for us each day. But maybe Claire lets you ride one of the new horses until your horse is fit to go back in the race." said Becky and pointed out the horses she was talking about.

Alyssa listened and looked at the horses with a very content smile. "They all look good. I love horses…guess I've spent more time with my horses than with other people. I've started training the horses on my father's farm when I was 4. I've trained Rahima myself. I know that she doesn't look like being in a good condition, but she was… I've also worked with her foal, Navarro until he was taken away."

"Where is he?" Becky asked, curiously.

Alyssa quickly changed the subject. "And what about the other horses?"

"We also have horses for training here, like dark brown Cassino, Beltane over there and chestnuts Brave Jay and Rocket. Claire and Alex train them and I have to say, they're doing a good job. You'll see, in a few months, everyone around here wants to have his horses trained by Claire and Alex." Becky continued, pretending not to have noticed the little change in Alyssa. "And you've trained horses, too?"

Alyssa did not answer but let her gaze travel over the paddocks and horses and the trees on the horizon.

Becky knew better than to ask further. "Well then, you should go to Tess and let her take care of the mess you call hair. No offence, but have you looked at yourself lately?" Becky smiled and Alyssa understood that she really was intending to place offence.

"You think so?" Alyssa said and almost laughed. She carefully brushed through her hair and sighed. "I think you're right. Are you sure that Tess can help?"

"Yeah! You can come back and help me with the sheep afterwards."

Tess grinned when Alyssa came to her. "Yeah yeah, guess I know why you're coming. Sit down. Would you like a cup of coffee?"

Alyssa nodded thankfully. She sat down on a chair in front of the large wooden table and folded her hands in her lap.

Tess put the cup with the hot black liquid down before the blond girl and sat down next to her. She eyed her carefully and when Alyssa turned her head, Tess smiled. She put her head to one side and began to speak.

"So…what happened to you?" Tess was always very direct.

Alyssa tilted her head and stared down.

Tess was quiet for a moment and then came a little closer. "Please, Alyssa. Something has happened to you and I just want to help. We all just want to help. You can trust me…"

Suddenly the girl looked up sharply. "I don't want to talk about it, ok?" she hissed. "I can't…"

"I know, you already said that…But please understand, it is pretty difficult for us to…to…well, to help you when you keep it all inside." She put one hand on the girl's shoulder and changed the subject. "Well, take all the time you need, ok? Now, are you ready to have your hair cut?"

About one hour later, Tess finished with Alyssa's new haircut and let her go back to Becky. Her blond hair was now cut shorter than before. But Becky was nowhere to be found. Didn't she say that she would need help with the sheep? But neither the blond girl nor the sheep were to be seen anywhere. Alyssa searched around the property and finally ended up at the paddock where Phoenix was. The chestnut coloured foal was tall for her age and had the same beautiful head like her mother Blaze. She would be a good stud mare and a good cutting horse in a few years with the good training that she would receive by Claire and Alex. Coming to think of Alex, Alyssa was very unsure of what to think of him. There were mixed feelings, fright, anger and something that came close to a passionate thought of affection for that man. But there was too much in her head, too much that weighed heavy on her soul and heart, that could not be forgotten so easily, if not never at all. But then, he was a man, and most of the time, men were pigs.

Phoenix trotted towards her and put her reddish head against Alyssa's tender hand while she scratched her neck and patted her inquisitive nose which was searching for something to eat. Alyssa laughed and pushed the curious horse back a little. Rahima had been like that when she was younger, the girl remembered. The mare was in quiet a bad condition and it was all her fault. But there had not been any other way. Lost in thoughts, it was not long before she now heard Meg shout that dinner was ready.


	9. Chapter 8

**VIII.**

Once Alyssa arrived in the kitchen, Meg asked her to run over to Becky's apartment to get her. She had not responded to the calls. Alyssa ran over to the bungalows but she was nowhere to be found outside.

"Becky?" she yelled but got no answer.

She sneaked around the low building and finally found her, inside her room. She saw her through the window and called for her before she opened to door.

"Becky?" asked Alyssa. "Dinner is on the table. Meg sends me to…" She stuck her head through the open door and watched Becky quickly hide the picture behind her back.

"Becky?" Alyssa asked again. "Are you alright?"

Becky sobbed. "No, I'm not…"

"Who is this?" Alyssa asked.

Becky did not reply, she did not even more anymore. Her eyes were tied to the person on the picture and slowly filled up with tears.

"I…I'm sorry, I didn't mean to…" Alyssa stepped over to her and put a hand onto her shoulder.

"Brett…" murmured Becky.

"Brett? Where is he?" asked Alyssa.

"He's dead…I found him…under the bridge…"

Alyssa frowned. "I am sorry, I didn't know…"

"Well, it's alright. It's been a few weeks now." Becky smiled through her tears. "I'll get over it…Don't worry. I'll be alright."

"You sure will…" said Alyssa and smiled. "But you'll always remember him. He will always be here in your heart, believe me."

Becky smiled sadly. "I think about him all the time. He helped me so much to cope with my life…" She glanced sideways.

"Cope?" Alyssa asked.

"Brett was always there for me. I have never experienced anything like that before. My life had not been good before I came here and when I then met him, it suddenly became so clear to me that all I've been doing until then was nothing real and phoney. It may sound completely crazy, but he showed me what I am worth…and now that he's not here anymore, it's hard for me to focus on what he taught me."

"Oh…" was all Alyssa could say.

"Well, yeah…" Becky sat down on the bed. "You have to know, Alyssa, during the time that Brett was gone and I didn't know that he was already dead, I met someone. Jake. He works on Killarney. He tried so hard to help me get over it. At first it was the pain of Brett not coming back although he had promised it to me, and then his death was very hard to digest, as you may understand." Becky was trying hard to avoid any direct questions but she felt that Alyssa was just about to share her secret with her. But she still had to be careful, she thought, and decided not to tell the girl what happened to her when she was 15, at least not now. There would come a time, Becky was sure.

Alyssa nodded. "I lost my mother when I was 12. But I think it's something different when you lose someone you love so much. I've loved my mother a lot, but well…it must have been different with Brett…"

"Maybe it was, who knows. Only one thing is for sure here. I've gotten over it and maybe you will, too."

"I miss my mom but it's nothing that still irritates me. The first year was hard but I had my father and my horses." She flashed the other girl a shy smile. "Although I sometimes wish that she hadn't left me so all alone…You have Claire and Tess, and Jodi and Meg, and also Jake."

"You're not alone anymore, we're all here for you." Becky smiled. "And I'm sure that you can stay as long as you want. You're safe here." She saw Alyssa clench her jaws. What was there? Every time she something like this, Alyssa closed up. Becky quickly changed the subject. "Well, I found my very own home, right here on Drover's. There may come a time when you find your home as well. Maybe even here. Things change all the time, and you can't do anything against that. Tears will dry as time goes by. I've learned it and so will you. Trust me, ok?" Becky smiled.

Alyssa nodded and returned her smile, even if Becky felt a little odd seeing it. "Sure. I just need time."


	10. Chapter 9

**VIX.**

During the next three days, some of Alyssa's inner wounds seemed to finally start healing and the girl became more outgoing. Everyone noticed it, but still, as soon as it came to finding out more about her, she blocked and said nothing about it. Only Becky seemed to get through to her. Jodi was a very nice girl, but she was too inquisitive sometimes and for those who want to hide a secret Jodi was definitely not the first person they put all their trust in to.

Since Jodi's and Becky's room were next to each other, Alyssa spent a lot of time with Becky in the evenings after all the work was done and after they had dinner.

Claire and Tess used to sit outside until midnight, now that it had grown so warm, but Becky always retreated and sat on her bed to read a little before she fell asleep with all the lights on. Most of the time it was Meg who turned out the lights because Jodi had the same problem with leaving the lights on. But lately, since Alyssa's arrival, Becky did not read anymore and she did not go to sleep early anymore, she and the strange girl spent hours just talking. And after a few of those talks, Alyssa slowly began to tell where she was from and how she came here. At first it did not make any sense, but when Becky told Claire and Tess a night later, confidentially of course, the two women saw the connection.

"So her name is Alyssa Hawking, as in Hawking Thoroughbreds Hudson. I've guessed so far." Claire stated. "The horse has the brand, HTH, so that fits. The Hawkings brand their stud horses which are not for sale, the ones that they sell on auctions only get numeral brands. Graham Hawking has two children, his son manages the property and the daughter has been reported missing for 5 months. Since then, the business is close to ruin. Seems to me as if that boy doesn't have a very good sense of retail. Before that, HTH was one of the most important thoroughbred studs in Australia."

Tess frowned. "Ah…so you think she is the daughter? But she's only been here for a few days."

"I have never seen the daughter, but the son, his name is Frank, was in Gungellan and sold a few horses last year. When I now come to think of it, they kind of look alike. The same face, the same eyes, but hopefully not the same character. Frank is a complete idiot and doesn't treat horses and other people well. Alex once nearly got into a fight with him. He's a jerk…" Claire said and raised an eyebrow.

"Ah…a jerk…" Tess replied with a frown.

"And why aren't her father or her brother searching for her?" Becky intervened.

"Dunno…wish I knew. Her father is quite old but still, it's no reason at all to not try anything to find her!" Claire said and Tess watched her carefully.

"But then why is she here?"

Claire was just about to answer, but in that moment the phone rang and she went to answer it. When she came back a couple of minutes later, her facial expression made Tess shiver.

"Dr. Gardener just called. He said that the DNA tests were negative, no reported rapist did it. But he found traces of damage, which means that there were or are inner injuries which caused loss of blood. He is pretty sure about this being a violation. She didn't do it freely. She probably fought her opponent, that's why there are so many bruises and cuts, especially on her wrists and hips. He also said that it must have happened about a week before Alex found her. So she must have been travelling around with that horse for at least a week."

"So if she didn't steal the mare, she is the daughter of Graham Hawking. Maybe we should call him and tell him that she is here…"

"Don't you think that she would have done that if she wanted him to know where she was?" Becky interfered.

"You've got a point there…" Claire trailed off. "But still, we need to find out if someone is still searching for her."

"You're probably right, but we should leave it to her, don't you think?"

"Becky…she needs help, and we will help her. Time will tell what to do." Tess said and smiled. "We'll help her, ok?"

The blond girl nodded. "But then…where has she been for the rest of the time? I mean, we all speculate on it just being a week, but it's been 5 months that she's been reported missing, if I got it right."

Tess frowned. "I don't know…"


End file.
